The End Is Near On Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day

By Carol Cichorski, on October 15th, 2011

I hate to admit it, but next month at this time, my garden will be pretty much done for the year. So I’m not going to admit it. I’m going to be oblivious to reality and just enjoy that my garden still has beautiful flowers. Oh sure there are dahlias. With 100 plants that go till a hard frost, we most assuredly have more dahlias than I have time to put in vases and share. Not a bad problem to have.

The dahlias are not alone. For example, my toad lilies are pretty amazing. Toad lilies are one of those shade plants that just lie in waiting. All summer long they are just kind of, well, kind of just there. A nice enough arrangement of leaves, but not commanding any attention. They are ready for attention now. Such a beautiful little speckled flower. And it gets better – the flowers run all the way up and down the stems. Who thinks these things up? Oh yes, I’m tending His garden. That explains the creativity. Toad lilies are one of those plants that you may not have known you wanted – till now. Mine only gets about a foot tall, though it comes in other varieties that grow bigger.

Cleome hasn’t given up yet either. Once you have cleome, you always have cleome. The annual plant dies, but the seeds are there. Oh yes, the seeds are there. Actually, here, there, and everywhere. Cleome is one of the few reseeders that I allow to have its own way, like here on the path by the porch. It’s my garden and I get to decide where it’s going to look less than organized.

I also get to decide when I’m done sharing. So though there are other beauties still blooming, I’m not going to take the mystery out of our relationship.

What else is blooming in the October garden? To see what other bloggers have blooming on the 15th of every month, visit “

The dahlias are not alone. For example, my toad lilies are pretty amazing. Toad lilies are one of those shade plants that just lie in waiting. All summer long they are just kind of, well, kind of just there. A nice enough arrangement of leaves, but not commanding any attention. They are ready for attention now. Such a beautiful little speckled flower. And it gets better – the flowers run all the way up and down the stems. Who thinks these things up? Oh yes, I’m tending His garden. That explains the creativity. Toad lilies are one of those plants that you may not have known you wanted – till now. Mine only gets about a foot tall, though it comes in other varieties that grow bigger.

Cleome hasn’t given up yet either. Once you have cleome, you always have cleome. The annual plant dies, but the seeds are there. Oh yes, the seeds are there. Actually, here, there, and everywhere. Cleome is one of the few reseeders that I allow to have its own way, like here on the path by the porch. It’s my garden and I get to decide where it’s going to look less than organized.

I also get to decide when I’m done sharing. So though there are other beauties still blooming, I’m not going to take the mystery out of our relationship.

What else is blooming in the October garden? To see what other bloggers have blooming on the 15th of every month, visit Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for our Garden Bloggers’ Bloom day entries.

Wonderful post, I think you are not alone if sensing that the end is near for the season…then again, it makes what we have at the moment that much more precious! Love the Toad Lilies…such a great plant!